Inhaler



Feb. 9, 1943. P- A, DERHAM ETAL 2,310,681

INHALER Filed March 4, 1942 JMJ-fe ATTKNEY Patented Feb. 9, 1943 ENT GFFICE INHALER of New Yori;

Application March 4, 1942, Serial No. 433,312

2 Claims.

This invention relates to inhalers and particularly to the type designed to permit the replacement of the medicament used therein when exhausted.

The invention contemplates the provision of a three-piece inhaler, each part of which is adapted to be economically molded of plastic material, and designed when assembled to prevent leakage and loss of medicated vapors therefrom, but which is easily disassembled for the replacement of medicament when desired.

The invention further contemplates the pro- Vision of a molded inhaler using a minimum amount of material and therefore designed to be manufactured at comparatively low cost, the parts being provided with communicating, but normally sealed air inlet and vapor discharge openings, the discharge opening becoming accessible and the inlet openings being unsealed when the capping member is removed.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows, and from the drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the inhaler as it appears assembled with the cap thereof in its sealing position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the inhaler with the cap removed to unseal the openings. i

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the same taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3 and showing the medicament in the form of medicated packing arranged inside the inner tubular member.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example, the inhaler comprises the outer base I0, the cap II which is similar to the base in size and shape, and the inner tube I2, all three parts being molded of plastic material and having comparatively thin walls to reduce the amount of material used therein to a minimum. The base Il? is provided with an upstanding annular terminal portion I3 surrounding the open end and provided with external threads Iii. Outstanding beyond the outer surface of the base just below the threads is the annular enlarged finger grip I5, which may be suitably knurled or roughened to prevent slipping of the lingers of the user when the cap II is removed. The base is closed at its lower end I6 to provide a small air compartment as Il below the tube and below the medicated packing I8 therein. The wall I9 is substantially cylindrical and of about the same thickness as the threaded portion I3, but is enlarged slightly I with the compartment (Cl. 12S-200) `at the top of the compartment Il to form an inwardly extending shoulder 2li in a plane at substantial right angles to the axis of the base. The shoulder forms a seat for the lower end edge 2'5 of the tube and prevents the tube from being pushed too far into the base.

Extending vertically downwardly for a vsubstantial distance below said shoulder and into the compartment I'I from the extreme end edge of the open end of the base are the spaced longitudinal grooves 2|, 22, 23, 24 made in the inner surface ofthe wall I9. Said grooves provide air passages from the exterior of the base to the compartment Il. The wall of each of said grooves is preferably arcuate, being much wider than the depth thereof. Each of the grooves extends suiciently below the bottom edge 25 of the tube I2 to communicate freely il when the tube is pushed into the base to its limiting position wherein said edge 25 rests on the shoulder 2U.

At its open end as at 26, a knurled or roughened iinger-grip enlargement similar to the enlargement I5 of the base, is provided on the cap. The enlargement 26 is internally threaded to t and engage the external threads I4 of the base so that when the base and cap are screwed together into sealing position, the enlargements I5 and 26 are either in direct contact to form a seal, or are in contact respectively with the opposite faces of a suitable gasket as 21, interposed therebetween, whereby entrance of air into the longitudinal passages or discharge of vapor-laden air from the tube is adequately prevented.

The tube I2 is completely open at its lower end edge 2'5, and at its upper end is made conoidal in shape to fit into the nostril with a restricted and comparatively small discharge opening 28. The outermost diameter of the tube is substantially the same as the diameter of the inner surface of the wall I9, whereby the tube may be frictionally fitted into the base and may readily be removed therefrom after the cap has first been unscrewed to expose the tube. A cylinder containing medicament may be inserted into the tube through its open end,'or medicated packing I8 may be so inserted into the tube after it is pulled out of the base. The lled tube is easily replaced merely by an axial downward movement.

On the removal of the cap I I, the upper end of the tube I2 may be inserted into the nostril and when the user inhales, air is drawn into the longitudinal grooves or passages and through the compartment I1, upwardly through the interior of the tube, and out through the discharge opening 28, as shown by the arrows of Fig. 4. During the movement of the air, it becomes laden with vapor emanating from the medicated material I8. The inner diameter of the cap Il is somewhat greater than the outer diameter of the tube, so that the cap may be easily placed over the projecting part of the tube and screwed into its sealing position.

It will be understood that since the tube l2 is fitted frictionally into the base l to project therefrom, it may readily be removed for replacement of the medicated material when said material is exhausted of vapors, and then replaced, and that the operation described may be readily performed by unskilled persons. It will also be seen that by the provision of the shoulder 2|), a stop means is provided preventing the tube I2 from being pushed down too far and thereby cutting off the air entrance passages, and that the only member which is removed and handled, that is, the tube, has a continuous and smooth outer surface, whereby foreign matter cannot accumulate thereon nor in the air passages to clog said passages. Finally, it will be seen that by the improved construction herein described, each of the parts may be readily molded of plastic material with thin walls using a minimum amount of such material, and that the parts may be therefore economically produced and economically and rapidly assembled and used without danger of clogging the passages, thereby providing a structure well adapted to meet the requirements of practical use.

Any variation or modification of the invention described above which does not depart from the spirit of the invention is intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An inhaler comprising a molded tubular base closed at one end and open and externally threaded at the other end and having an annular outer finger-grip enlargement below and adjacent to the threaded end, the inner surface of said base' having a plurality of spaced longitudinal grooves therein extending partway through the thickness of and terminating above the closed end of the base, a shoulder projecting inwardly from said inner surface above the lower ends of the grooves, said shoulder constituting a seat, a molded cap of substantially the same outermost shape as the base open at its lower end and closed at its upper end, the lower end portion of the cap being internally threaded to receive the externally threaded part of the base, said cap having an annular outer finger-grip enlargement corresponding to the enlargement of said base, and a molded inner medicament-receiving tube of less length than the combined lengths of said cap and base, the outermost diameter of said tube being substantially equal to the diameter of the inner surface of said base and slightly less than the diameter of the inner surface of the cap, the lower end of said tube being adapted to seat on the shoulder of the base and said tube being removably inserted into said base in frictional contact with the inner surface of the base to provide air passages through the grooves and the tube when the cap is removed, said enlargements cooperating to seal said passages when the cap is in place.

2. An inhaler comprising three molded parts, namely a base, a cap and a tube, the tube being of substantially uniform diameter except at the upper end thereof, said upper end being conoidal, the base and cap having outermost surfaces of substantially equal size and shape, each of the base and cap having an open end and a closed end, and each having a finger-grip enlargement at said open end, there being an externally threaded part on the base and a correspondingly internally threaded part on the cap at the respective open ends thereof for removably connecting said base and cap, the inner diameter of the cap being slightly greater than the outer diameter of the tube and the inner diameter of the base being substantially equal to the outer diameter of the tube, whereby said tube is frictionally and removably fitted into the base, said base having a plurality of spaced longitudinal, substantially parallel grooves in the inner surface thereof extending below the end of the tube in the lowermost position thereof, and an inward projection on the inner surface of said base adapted to seat the lower end of the tube at a point above the lowermost ends of said grooves.

PHILJP A. DERHAM. JESSE H. NEWPORT, JR. 

